Slacking on the Job

Many workers are finding it harder to find things to occupy their time at the office ... you know, besides actual work. That's because employers are continuing to install technology to prevent slackers and procrastinators from doing what they were never paid to be doing in the first place. Previous reasons for denying employees access to certain web sites, tracking their typing, even using security cameras in the main office areas were obvious -- to cut down on slacking off, to cut down on abuse of the Internet and email, to monitor harassing behavior. But in addition to all those brilliant reasons for blocking workers from visiting the likes of gambling sites, fantasy football sites and MySpace, companies are also cracking down on broader usage. "When employees access media like online video," according to CareerJournal, "it saps technology resources, which can slow down tasks like transferring files over the corporate network or accessing email or the Internet." Naturally, "company overseers worry about Internet safety and security." So what's an employee who only really performs about 15 minutes of honest work a week to do without YouTube at work? Extended lunches, frequent bathroom visits, sudoku ... they'll think of something. After all, if they're smart enough to get hired at such a great company, they're probably clever enough to find a way, sans technology, to get fired by that company. [CareerJournal]